Stub Mandrel

That's me... I can sing in tune, but I just don't have the sort of voice that suits being a lead singer.

Well, the passive switch completely isolates the preamp from the output... So it's something else that's the cause.

I didn't share my approach, but I will now. I accept that my different basses will sound different - I tend NOT to compensate for this. My starting point is to set my amp (which has three-band e.q.) with Mid at 12 o'clock, treble and bass at about half-past 12, these small adjustments from straight up are barely audible. With volume low, I adjust gain so normal playing gives a pretty clean sound, but I can get an overdriven sound with modest digging in (easy to do with my Terror 500). I have a fair idea where it needs to be for my regular instruments. I then see how it sounds in the room at gig volume, with any PA support in place. I find room effects are usually either the room eats bottom end (lots of sound traps or soft surfaces) or exaggerates it (hard or resonant floors, hard walls) and adjust the bass control as necessary, some venues require a fairly hefty adjustment. If the PA issound is by someone who believes bass is all under 200Hz I may boost treble or mids to get a bit more presence. If I use effects, then I play with levels (only) to keep things balanced when they are switched in. Sometimes I will vary a bit. Last two gigs, the bass drum, has lacked a rounded bottom end, so I upped my bass control a bit to 'fill the gap'. I know someone who has made an art of doing this with a genuine early 60s P with ancient flats, and by playing locked to the kick he gets a really solid rhythm sound.

I do this by changing pickup settings, finger position etc. and sometimes effects. Do you do this and 'set and forget your amp settings', or change them on the fly?

Just let people know you're willing to dep and you get asked. I turned one down a few days ago... I've gigged with four bands this month and depping as well is too much.

If if happens with the preamp switched out it is NOT a problem with the preamp as the circuit as drawn abovd totally isolates it. If there's a dc voltage on the output jack with the preamp switched out, then possibly it's an earth fault or maybe a partial short from the battery connection to the signal on the jack socket.

We all have different sounds in our heads. How do you go about getting the sound you want? At home, in different venues, maybe when faced with an unfamiliar amp. Looking for your thoughts on how to go about achieving different sounds, especiallyfor amp only setups.

From what's above, the problem is likely to be a failed capacitor underneath what looks to be nasty stiky-backed foam. The undulating foam suggests surface mount components, which can be tricky to work with The good news is tracing back from the output jack via the volume pot should lead you, eventually, to the dodgy capacitor (if that is the cause).

Not a way to get ahead with depping... 😁

I think mine is about 1976.

Saw Fury... possibly supporting Phil Campbell? They were good.

Just over two hours for me

Dudley?

Redditch? Worcester?

I'm not the world's best singer, but the chance that tuning down a random selection of songs half-step will make a meaningful difference to more than one or two songs is negligible.

Alas, Spondon is no longer a hop, skip and a thirty-minute drive from my abode.

Band have to live with what I decide to bring along on the day! Turned up for a dep with my Hohner B2 once, and they loved it.

The Box speakers are decent but some are heavy. I gave away two 2x15 + tweeter cabs, they were just totally impractical, but I know a rehearsal studio that uses them and they sound great.

Two of my irrational prejudices right there...

Jazz is the other band's, not mine.

The Small Feces. (American spelling 😁)

Is it a Himmernezz? No it's a Yamaha.

RAY CHARLES on what does it take to be a good Blues singer : Oh, well, that’s a great question, because you know, you can’t just say any one particular thing. First of all, let’s be honest about it, it’s important that one have a little talent, I mean, that, that would help, let’s face it. But I think that to have to be any kind of singer I think you have to have feeling there, and feeling cannot be taught. You can teach a person notes, you know, just like in music, you know, you can teach a person to play the piano, play an instrument or you can teach a person… they can go to voice school and you can teach him how to sing. But the one thing you can’t teach is you can’t teach feeling, you see and that is the key I think to any kind of singing… can the person, and what feeling is to make that they’re saying so real that you believe whatever they’re singing about must have happened to them because they’ve got so much feeling in their voice. The same as an actress who plays a part on the screen is so real you forget that’s it’s just a play, but you become so involved… to me that’s what feeling is all about, is to make yourself, whatever you’re singing about believable and of course I don’t think you can teach that. I think the person either has to have it or they don’t have it.

May I make a plea for a south of Brum venue as many Welsh basschatters would join in.

American dates...